


On Fairy Tales

by christinefromsherwood



Series: 2020 Fest Headcanons [10]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: 00Q in the background, F/M, Headcanon, Post-Spectre fix-it, SPECTRE Fix-It, or maybe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:08:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25501879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/christinefromsherwood/pseuds/christinefromsherwood
Summary: When Madeleine was a little girl,mamantold her stories of kings and princesses and true love. It always came fast and hard and in a dazzle of emotions.But Madeleine knew she couldn’t blame fairytales for how long it took her to catch on with Bill. Every little girl listened to the same bedtime stories and most didn’t need to didn’t need to be whacked over the head with a-Well, theirs wasn’t a love at first sight. The first time Madeleine saw Bill Tanner, she was just about to go through one of the most traumatic experiences of her life.And with her upbringing, that was really saying something.
Relationships: Bill Tanner/Madeleine Swann
Series: 2020 Fest Headcanons [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816660
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9
Collections: 007 Fest Fancreations





	On Fairy Tales

**Author's Note:**

> written for the Rare Pair Prompt Table

When Madeleine was a little girl, _maman_ told her stories of kings and princesses and true love. It always came fast and hard and in a dazzle of emotions. 

But Madeleine knew she couldn’t blame fairytales for how long it took her to catch on with Bill. Every little girl listened to the same bedtime stories and most didn’t need to be whacked over the head with a-

Well, theirs wasn’t a love at first sight. The first time Madeleine saw Bill Tanner, she was just about to go through one of the most traumatic experiences of her life. 

And with her upbringing, that was really saying something. 

She had barely even noticed the mild-mannered man beside his beautiful colleague, his larger-than-life boss, and Q--the one James’ eyes lingered on. 

(Her brain didn’t make sense of _that_ until later. Until she had bought one ticket and James handed her another and told her that their Q had her sorted. That Dr. Madeleine Swann had become like the _Fantômas_ from stories. No one would know her face, or where she was. She wondered if he knew just how telling the pride shining in his eyes was.)

Seeing Bill Tanner the second time did, likewise, not engender any sparks, or angel choirs, or an immediate magnetic pull she’d be too weak to resist. 

After James gave her the all-clear that SPECTRE was more or less taken care of and she could go where she wished, Madeleine decided to give Britain another try. 

Part of her wanted to make sure that he was really dead, that they were really gone, and where better to experiment than in the one place where James’ clever boyfriend (finally!) had the longest reach. And _le bon dieu_ knew that after everything that had gone down with the MI5 and MI6 merger and subsequent separation, it wasn’t only the field agents who were in a sore need of counseling. 

(It broke her heart to refuse when James suggested himself as her first patient, but she knew it wouldn’t be the best fit. Or ethical. Or smart, really--she saw the quick furtive looks Q threw her and James when she’d started at MI6 Medical. She referred him to one of her new colleagues who had a kind smile and strength of steel in her eyes.)

No, by the time Madeleine had her “Oh fuck, I want to spend the rest of my life with him” moment, she couldn’t count how many times she’d seen and talked to Bill Tanner. Their first proper interaction happened when they bumped into one another in a small bistro around the corner that Madeleine wanted to try for lunch. 

It took her a while to place him, but it was clear that he knew who she was immediately. It was a painfully awkward interaction and Madeleine hoped she’d never have to see him again. 

Only then they _did_ see each other again, at the same bistro! And it would have been extremely rude to ignore him, so they sat at the same table and exchanged pleasantries and… it was actually really nice? 

He wasn’t a friend but he was friendly and not a patient and Madeleine realised how desperate she was for a human interaction on an equal footing. 

She began to look forward to their lunch dates and was surprised to find herself strangely disappointed when Bill apologized one Thursday, saying he had to order a takeout to the office because there was just too much paperwork. 

She was ashamed of herself that she didn’t immediately catch on when he asked her to dinner the next day to “make it up to her”.

Thankfully, she realised she was on a date before their main course arrived. 

(No, it wasn’t watching Bill tear a breadstick into bite-sized pieces and give her a pleased little grin as she complimented the wine that did it; that gave her the “oh fuck moment”. She’ll deny it to her dying day.)


End file.
